400,000 Toledo, Ohio, residents without drinking water

About 400,000 residents in and around Toledo, Ohio, were without drinking water Saturday after officials said tap water had become contaminated with toxin from algae blooms in nearby Lake Erie. Toledo sits on the Maumee River, which flows into Lake Erie. The affected area includes parts of extreme southeastern Michigan near the Ohio border. Toledo draws its drinking water from Lake Erie.

Drinking the contaminated water could result in abnormal liver function, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, numbness or dizziness, officials said. No illnesses have been reported so far.

Downtown Toledo, Ohio, along the Maumee River.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich on Saturday declared a state of emergency in two Toledo-area counties and activated the National Guard to work with the state Department of Transportation to start delivering water to the affected areas. Water will be distributed to area schools and one case per family will be permitted until the situation is resolved, said the mayor’s office. The contamination alert was issued at 2 a.m. Eastern on Saturday.

Residents were advised not to use the water to brush teeth or feed pets. Boiling water, which can make it safe in other situations, only increases the concentration of the toxin, said officials.

Toledo Mayor D. Michael Collins urged all facilities that use water, including restaurants, to close unless they could guarantee no tap water would be consumed.

The contamination was discovered after tests at Toledo’s Collins Park Water Treatment Plant found two sample readings for the toxin microcystin that were far higher than the recommended level.

The city said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency would test the water, with results expected about 7 p.m. Eastern.

The city said Toledo residents could use water to wash, bathe, shower and in toilets.

“It is understandable that there is a huge degree of public concern, but we would advise everyone to remain calm, an alternative water supply and a distribution system will be announced as quickly as possible,” said city officials.

Residents reportedly were buying up bottled water, bags of ice and flavored water from stores, and several sold out, according to reports.

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